7 of September's best food and drink events

From workshops for adults and children to a medieval Richard III banquet, we round up our favourite events near you this autumn

Pick your poison: handmade liqueurs at the Guernsey Food Festival

Stalls galore: there will be masterclasses too at Sefton Park

Liverpool Food and Drink Festival, 15-17 September

This year’s Liverpool Food and Drink Festival will feature masterclasses from brilliant chefs Gizzi Erskine, Simon Rimmer, Nisha Katona, Paul Askew, Gary Usherm, Aiden Byrne and The Hairy Bikers.

Sefton Park will be packed – expect street food stalls, a gin garden and a kids’ zone, which will feature a food laboratory with experiments – not to be tried at home. The festival will also welcome the indie band The Lightning Seeds. Tickets start from £6 from liverpoolfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk. Entry is free for children under 14.

Check-in for the giant paella that will grace Stranraer (Stranraer Oyster Festival)

Stranraer Oyster Festival, 15-17 September

Scotland’s first Oyster Festival will take place in Stranraer, marking the beginning of the oyster harvest. Festivalgoers will see the oyster landing ceremony which includes the oysters being piped ashore, live music, giant paella, an Oceanallover community performance and fireworks. Over the weekend there will be oyster-tasting, cooking demonstrations and classes, and the majority of the festival activities will be free of charge. Some workshops require paid tickets available from stranraeroysterfestival.com

Ready to rustle up: this year‘s festival in York will feature a Richard III experience (York Food and Drink Festival)

York Food and Drink Festival, 22 September to 1 October

This is the 20th year for the festival. This time around the family-friendly event’s theme will be “food in words and pictures”. The line-up includes chef demonstrations and a cookery school. For the children there will be a junior-chef competition. For the historians, both young and old, there will a Richard III experience banquet set in the heart of the medieval city. Entry is free.

Where the party at: meat meets music at Meatopia (Meatopia)

Meatopia, 1-3 September

Sorry veggies, this is one to give wide berth to. This year’s Meatopia festival is returning to Tobacco Dock, London. The event will be hosting famous chefs from around the world as well as workshops and chef talks. While serving ethically sourced meat, festivalgoers will experience live music and street theatre. Tickets start at £23.85 and are available from meatopia.co.uk

Getting children ‘cooking growing and tasting’ is part of the appeal at Abergavenny (Abergavenny Food Festival)

Abergavenny Food Festival, 16-17 September

Abergavenny Food Festival has been growing over the past 18 years and is now the largest food festival in Wales. Speakers this year will include Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge and Radio 4’s Rachel McCormack. For the adults there will be tasting workshops and masterclasses while for the kids there will be cooking classes, storytelling and the Rotary Young Chef of the Year Competition. Tickets are available from abergavennyfoodfestival.com

From workshops to farm walks, Aldeburgh is a packed crate of goodies (Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival)

Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival, 23-24 September

The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival takes place next to the River Alde near the Suffolk Coast. The festival will host both local and worldwide chefs. Some of the exotic cuisines include Vietnamese and Mexican. There will also be masterclasses and food-themed talks. Tickets cost £8 from aldeburghfoodanddrink.co.uk

Haul of fame: the Guernsey will be drawing in the crowds for its third year (Guernsey Food Festival)

Guernsey Food Festival, 16-24 September

Now in its third year, the Guernsey Food Festival will be based around St Peter’s Port and will celebrate the foods of the island. Top local chefs will be performing cooking demonstrations and there will be many samples and tastes for visitors. The festival will also be hosting talks and markets. Highlights include “Tea in Wonderland” – a family tea party with actors in costume reading from Lewis Carroll. Entry is free and information is available from visitguernsey.com/event/2017-guernsey-food-festival